What I Noticed Today (Acts 23-25)
Acts 23
In verses 1-10, Luke records the trial of Paul before the Sanhedrin.
The Roman commander brought Paul before the Sanhedrin the next morning. Paul told the assembly he had lived with a clear conscience in his ministry. The high priest, Ananias, ordered some men to strike Paul on the mouth. In response, Paul said God would strike the high priest and called him a whitewashed wall.
Note: The commander decided to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin because if the issue had to do with Jewish law, the Sanhedrin would resolve it. If Paul violated some Roman law, then he could be turned over to the Roman proconsul.
Note: In Jewish law, the accused was presumed innocent until proven guilty. So in striking Paul, the high priest was being hypocritical: he was presumed to be a righteous judge while breaking the law himself.
Note: Paul’s reference to the high priest being a whitewashed wall means Ananias looked good on the outside but was deteriorating on the inside.
Paul said he did not recognize the high priest because he knew it was wrong to speak evil of a ruler of the people (quoting Exodus 22:28).
Note: Since Paul had looked intently at the high priest, it’s hard to understand how he would not have recognized the high priest. Two possible explanations are that the high priest was not in his priestly garments since early in the morning, and Paul had not been around the Sanhedrin for many years, so he may not have known the high priest.
When Paul realized that some of the Sanhedrin were Pharisees and some were Sadducees, he said that he was being judged simply because he believed in the resurrection of the dead. This started a huge argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees because the Sadducees do not believe in resurrection, spirits, or angels. However, the Pharisees do believe.
Eventually, the scribes and the Pharisees said there was no evil in Paul, suggesting that perhaps God had sent a spirit or angel to speak to him. As the argument grew more intense, the commander removed Paul and took him back to the barracks.
In verses 11-22, the following night, the Lord stood by Paul, encouraging him, saying as he had testified in Jerusalem, you must also testify in Rome.
A group of 40 Jews bound themselves together by a curse saying they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They even went to the chief priest and elders to inform them of their vow and include them in the conspiracy to kill Paul.
Paul’s nephew (the son of Paul’s sister) heard of the plot to ambush and kill Paul and went to the barracks and told Paul. Paul then told one of the centurions to take the young man to tell the commander. He told the commander about the plot to kill Paul, and the commander told him not to tell anyone he had reported the plot.
Note: This is the first mention of Paul’s sister and nephew being in Jerusalem. Perhaps they had moved there from Tarsus. The Greek for “young man” suggests Paul’s nephew was at least in his late teens and perhaps in his 20’s. It is unclear how the nephew heard about the plot.
In verses 23-35, the commander gathered two centurions and told them to gather 200 soldiers, 70 cavalries (soldiers on horses), and 200 spearmen (470 soldiers total) and be ready at 9 pm to take Paul to Caesarea.
He then wrote a letter to the governor, Felix, explaining the background of the issue with Paul, the Sanhedrin, and the plot against Paul’s life. He considered Paul innocent, but the dispute was a matter of Jewish law.
Note: The commander’s letter put himself in the role of rescuer and protector of Paul, but he left out the details of illegally binding and nearly flogging Paul before he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen. A letter containing the statement of facts was a requirement in the Roman army when a subordinate referred a case to a superior officer.
During the night, soldiers took Paul to Antipatris, and the next day, they returned to the barracks allowing the cavalry to take Paul on to Caesarea.
Note: It was about 35 miles from Jerusalem to Antipatris, which is a considerable distance to cover beginning at night and arriving the next day. It was about 27 miles from Antipatris to Caesarea.
In verses 33-35, the soldiers delivered Paul to Felix and gave him the letter from Lysias, the commander. Felix agreed to hear Paul’s case as soon as his accusers arrived. In the meantime, Felix had Paul kept under guard at Herod’s palace.
Acts 24
In verses 1-9, after five days, the high priest, some of the elders, and a lawyer named Tertullus came before Felix in Caesarea. The lawyer began with an opening statement and accused Paul of 1) being an agitator against Rome, 2) being a ringleader of a sect of Nazarenes, and 3) desecrating the temple. He said if it had not been for Lysias interfering, they would have dealt with Paul themselves.
Note: Felix would not be concerned with issues of Jewish law, but he would be concerned with accusations that Paul was inciting people against Rome.
In verses 10-21, Paul gives Felix a defense against the accusations made by the Jews. This is his second defense or apologetic speech recorded by Luke.
It was 12 days since he was in the temple. He was there to worship and was not causing a disturbance in the temple complex or the synagogue. Paul continued saying his accusers could bring no evidence against him proving their allegations. However, said Paul, he confessed to worshipping God according to the Way as written by the Law and the Prophets and believed in the resurrection. He always attempted to keep his conscience clear (not offending). Paul concluded by saying his true accusers were not even present (the Jews from Asia), and ultimately, he was brought before Felix over the issue of the resurrection.
Note: There were no legitimate charges against Paul because the Sanhedrin had not found him guilty, and his accusers were not present before Felix.
In verses 22-27, Felix was familiar with the Way (the Christian beliefs) and adjourned the trial saying he would decide the case when Lysias, the commander, arrived. In the meantime, he ordered a centurion to keep Paul under guard while allowing him some freedom and visitors.
Note: Paul’s imprisonment under Felix was much like a house arrest.
After some days, Felix, with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, sent for Paul to listen to him about his faith in Jesus. When Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and judgment, Felix became afraid and sent Paul away.
Note: Felix may have been fearful of God’s judgment since he had taken his wife, Drusilla, away from her first husband, Azizus.
Felix sent for Paul and spoke with Paul often because he was hoping Paul would bribe him to be released. After two years, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus as proconsul. As a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.
Acts 25
In verses 1-12, Luke records Paul’s defense before Festus.
Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he visited Jerusalem. The chief priests and elders there appealed to Festus to bring Paul to trial in Jerusalem. They planned to ambush Paul along the way and kill him. Festus refused, saying they should come to Caesarea to present their charges to him there.
After 8-10 more days, Festus went to Caesarea, and the next day had Paul brought before him. The Jews who came brought many serious charges against Paul but couldn’t prove any of them. Paul once again proclaimed his innocence. Festus asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to face the charges against him.
Paul insisted that Caesar’s tribunal was the proper place for the charges since they were civil in nature. He then appealed to Caesar. After consulting with his council, Festus said since Paul had appealed to Caesar, he would be sent to Caesar.
Note: Paul likely remembered the 40 men who had taken an oath to kill him and realized that going back to Jerusalem was not only dangerous, but he would never get a fair trial there. Festus seemed happy to shift the responsibility for deciding the case to Caesar.
Acts 25:13- 26:32
In this section, Luke presents Paul’s defense before Herod Agrippa II.
Note: Herod Agrippa II was the grandson of Herod the Great. He was about 30 years old when he met with Paul. At the time, because of his family’s relationship with Rome, he had been appointed as king of the territories northeast of Palestine. Additionally, Rome had given him the authority to appoint the high priest in Jerusalem. Bernice was his sister, and he was having an incestuous relationship with her.
In verses 13-22, Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid a visit to Festus. Festus presented Paul’s case to Agrippa, about how he had been in Jerusalem and heard the accusations against Paul. In Caesarea, he found no charges against Paul except for the dispute of the resurrection. He had offered to let Paul go back to Jerusalem for trial before the Sanhedrin, but Paul had appealed to Caesar.
The next day, Festus and Bernice came with commanders and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered Paul brought before him. Festus stated all of the Jews had demanded that Paul deserved to die, but he had found no charges against him deserving of death. Since Paul had appealed to Caesar and Festus had nothing to write to Caesar, he hoped that he would have something to write after meeting with Agrippa.
Note: As before, when referring a case to a higher Roman authority, the subordinate was required to write a letter stating the charges and facts of the case. Felix didn’t know what to write, so he was hoping Agrippa’s knowledge of Jewish customs would enable him to write a letter specifying the charges to Caesar.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- The Jewish leaders conspired to kill Paul, but Paul’s nephew somehow found out about the plot. All the false charges and lies could not stand against Paul, who was blameless before God. God was working behind the scenes to protect Paul, just as He had promised.
- All the time Paul spent in prison in Caesarea, he was protected, and with each of his defenses before the Roman leaders, he was able to preach his beliefs about Christ just as God said he would.
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Tomorrow: Acts 26-28
